Caster.



E. T. MALLOY.

EASTER. v APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6. I916.

Patented Jul 10, 1917.

iEdwurfilTlwmog. lmlenkov.

' nnwnnfn animator, or nanrtrou, orrro.

(EASTER;

neaaal Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented duly l0," l l't.

"Application filed October 6, 1916. Serial No. 124,183.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l; EDWARD T. MALLoY,

a citizen of the UnitedeSta'tes, residing at Hamilton, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Casters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to. casters of the class adapted to be used for heavy warehouse trucks having metal bottoms or for other'suitablepurposes, and the objects of my improvements. are to providemeans for the removal or replacing of the housings on stems which are permanently secured to the truck; to provide separate anti-friction bearings for resisting the respective vertical and horizontal thrusts; to provide races for contacting with the anti-friction balls at diametrically opposite points on their surface for t sing the sensitivenessof then action, and to provide simple and durable construction and assemblage of the various members for securing facility of operation and emciency of action. -These objects may be attained in the following described manin which I n igure 1 is a vertical diametrical section Y with the floor wheel removed of a caster cmbodying my improvements; Fig. 2 an inremoved, and Fig. .3 an inverted planof the top plate showing the cage with the balls in proper position in relation to the st m I I v In the drawings, '1 represents portions of the metal bottom of "a truck, -2 the top plate of a caster permanently attached thereto by means of rivets 3. Said plate is formed with a plane under. surface andvvith the depending stem t having the. vertical opening 5 therethrough. The housing consists of a circular plate 6 formed with a lane top sur face and with the'depending ge 7 for engaging .withthe floor Wheels 8 by means of the axle an the usualmanner;

Said plate 6 is also formed Wlthtlle de pending boss havingan axial opening it: therethrough which is ceunterbored at its ner as illustrated in the accompanying draw-' verted plan with the vball retaining plate also to the trade,

rvhat ll claim as with a circular plate The circular ball retaining plate it.-

1, for retaining the anti-friction balls 10 within the chamber 13 and also for preventing the removal of the stem 4 from the axial opening 12. v y

' The circular ball cage 16 is formed with an axial opening adapted to loosely encircle the enlarged base portion 17 of the stem 4 and with the ball chambers 18 in a concentric circle to contain the anti-friction balls 19 .and maintain them approximately within a concentric path between the top plate and the housing as shown in Fig. 1.

The anti-friction balls of both the plate and the stem bearings are arranged to contact only at diametrically opposite points in their surface with the opposing plane surfaces, which reduces their frictional action to a minimum amount.

In operation, the top bearing serves only to resist the vertical thrust and is limited in its horizontal movement by the stem bearing. Each bearingis arranged to resist the thrust for which it is intended without any interference from the other. This is due tothe' absence of, grooves for the balls in the opposing surfaces.

Should a housing become broken it may beremoved and replaced byanother by the removal of the screw and ball retaining plate. The caster consists of so few members assembled to coact so perfectly and with such little frictional resistance that it commends itself to the manufacturer and and merits protection. Having fully described my improvements,

my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the limited htates is: A caster comprising a housing formed having a plane top surface and with'a depending boss, said plate and host being foed with an axial opening termhiating at its lower end in an in-. ternal annular ball chamber, a top plate formed vvi'tha plane lower surface and with a circular stem dependingprrithin said, open and tenninating-"Within said annular chamber, antidriction balls encircling the stem within the chamber for sustaining the side thrust-thereon, a retaig plate for said balls'removably cf the stem anti friction balls "inteosed between said plates for sustaining the ownhill secured on the end taining them in predetermined distance relationto each other.

Witnesses:

R. S. CARR, O; F. AUTENEN.

E. T. MALLGY. 

